Author
Topic: Maintenance advice on F-1n (Read 3045 times)

HiI’m seeking advice on how to best take care of an F-1n.It has been in the family since new, but the owner died a year or two after he purchased it.It has since been left in the locker and more or less forgotten. Camera seems to be in very good condition, and seems to work fine.

Check the battery for leakage. Always store the camera with a cap on the lens, as continuous exposure will eventually wear out the lightmeter. If you're not using the camera, then change the lens every so often and store that (the extra lens) with the front-end (without lens cap) on a piece of thick glass - this prevents fungus growth. Dry fire the camera every so often, but don't force the action - go through most of the shutter speeds.

Also ... Buy a Sony A7R for that delicious FL 19mm lens!

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Happily ignoring the laws of physics and the rules of photography to create better pictures.

I'm not familiar with the internals of these Canon cameras, but do know the Pentax range (S1a and Spotmatic) pretty well, and in general they don't need lubrication if they're still functioning. Tolerances on most parts are very, very tight and requires almost no lubrication. The Spotties that I have dismantled and reassembled, I just sprayed the gears and such with Q10 and then wiped it clean with a lint-free cloth ... but when you reach this stage the camera is pretty much just a heap of gears and spares.

What is more of a problem with the old Pentax Spotmatic cameras, is that the glue used on the shutter curtains breaks down and the rubber/foam of the light-seals disintegrate.

But whatever you do, don't lubricate the camera (especially with a liquid lubricant), unless you know what you're doing. If something doesn't work, and 100% functionality of the camera is important to you, take it to a professional camera repair person ... or an enthusiast/collector of Canon cameras.

Logged

Happily ignoring the laws of physics and the rules of photography to create better pictures.

I'm not familiar with the internals of these Canon cameras, but do know the Pentax range (S1a and Spotmatic) pretty well, and in general they don't need lubrication if they're still functioning. Tolerances on most parts are very, very tight and requires almost no lubrication. The Spotties that I have dismantled and reassembled, I just sprayed the gears and such with Q10 and then wiped it clean with a lint-free cloth ... but when you reach this stage the camera is pretty much just a heap of gears and spares.

What is more of a problem with the old Pentax Spotmatic cameras, is that the glue used on the shutter curtains breaks down and the rubber/foam of the light-seals disintegrate.

But whatever you do, don't lubricate the camera (especially with a liquid lubricant), unless you know what you're doing. If something doesn't work, and 100% functionality of the camera is important to you, take it to a professional camera repair person ... or an enthusiast/collector of Canon cameras.